Current Projects

Grow Montana is undertaking the following projects to inform the state's economic development policy and action agenda:

Farm to Cafeteria Connections

We are a network of foodservice professionals, farmers and ranchers, and leaders in Montana's local food movement who are working together to create and grow Farm to Cafeteria programs in Montana. We will accomplish this by learning from each other's experiences and providing simple and easily accessible resources to anyone interested in serving local foods in our institutions.
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FoodCorps
Partnering with Montana Campus Compact, we launched FoodCorps in the summer of 2006. This project aims to make UM’s model farm to college program, which has already returned nearly $1 million to Montana farmers and ranchers, the norm for Montana’s public institutions. FoodCorps, four full-time AmeriCorps VISTA volunteers, coordinate four new Farm to Cafeteria (FTC) programs across the state. We believe this is the first time a statewide team of VISTA volunteers will have been trained to develop FTC programs, provided with mentors, and dispatched to partnering institutions in multiple communities. This approach will increase the momentum and visibility of efforts linking local farmers to local markets. Read more about the success of last year's FoodCorps

Governor’s Food and Agriculture Summit
Grow Montana actively serves on a planning committee supported by the governor’s office to bring together Montana’s agricultural, hunger/nutrition, economic development, low-income and other diverse interests to begin finding common ground. Through the March 22-23 summit in Helena, we hope to plant the seeds of a broad new coalition and political force. www.foodandag.mt.gov.

Food System Research

• Drs. Fraser Mcleay and Nicola Barron analyzed Montana's public institutional food service markets, and Montana's food and agricultural producers' capacity to serve those markets. Their final report, Unlocking the Food Buying Potential of Montana's Public Institutions Towards a Montana-based Food Economy, calls Montana public institutions an important stepping stone for Montana food producers to tap into the broader food service market. It also describes the need for investment in food system infrastructure to meet the needs of these markets. The Executive Summary of the report is available here. [PDF / 71KB]



• Dr. Neva Hassanein, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies, and 10 graduate students, followed the food chain of the program's purchases of local and regional food for campus dining halls and retail outlets. In Tracing the Chain: An In-Depth Look at the University of Montana's Farm to College Program, the research team looked at the social, economic, and transportation-related benefits and challenges associated with supporting local agricultural economic development. Download the Executive Summary here. [PDF / 345K]

Community Meetings
Grow Montana is conducting a series of meetings across the state to identify local food and agricultural development needs and opportunities from a wide variety of stakeholders and their communities. For information about hosting a community meeting in your area, contact Crissie McMullan (406) 531-5162, crissiemc at yahoo dot com.

On the Ground Work
Grow Montana steering committee members assist with the on-the ground work of Montana's ag producers, food processors and other entrepreneurs attempting to develop new food products, new markets and enhanced distribution. Their experiences will inform us of additional constraints and opportunities we need to tackle.